New updates will be coming to YouTube as announced at Vidcon, according to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.
This announcement was also posted on YouTube’s official blog. In the update, Wojcicki mentions that 1.5 billion people visit YouTube every month, and that people spend at least one hour a day watching YouTube videos.
“That’s the equivalent of one in every five people around the world,” said Wojcicki.
One of the newest updates coming to YouTube is that YouTube TV will be made available in certain cities in Texas, Florida, and in Minnesota along with Detroit, Charlotte, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. YouTube TV was originally announced in late February, and lets viewers live stream television, record television shows without running out of room and more according to this blog post about YouTube TV. The membership for YouTube TV is available for $35 and up to six people can be on one account.
YouTube Red Originals will also be getting 12 new projects to add to their current 37 show lineup. The new projects are shown in a preview which can be found here. They include Joey Graceffa’s Escape the Night, Rooster Teeth’s Lazer Team 2, Game Grump’s Good Game and more.
Another update is a new VR video format named VR180. YouTube will be working with the Google Daydream, Google’s version of VR, on this newest update to make it easy and affordable for anyone to make VR content.
“VR180 video focuses on what’s in front of you, are high resolution, and look great on desktop and on mobile,” said Frank Rodriguez, Product Manager of YouTube in a blog post about VR180. “They transition seamlessly to a VR experience when viewed with Cardboard, Daydream, and PSVR, which allow you to view the images stereoscopically in 3-D, where near things look near, and far things appear far. VR180 also supports live streaming videos so creators and fans can be together in real time.”
Google will also be teaming up with YI, Lenovo, and LG to create affordable cameras made specifically for VR180. The first VR180 cameras will be available this upcoming winter.
Also, the mobile and desktop versions of YouTube will be getting an updated design. The mobile version of YouTube will now be able to “fill the phone screen “with vertical, square and horizontal video regardless of how the video was shot. Users can now view videos in the way they want to view them on the mobile app.
The desktop version will also be updated to be easier to use and visually look simple but “clean and fresh,” according to this blog post about the new desktop design. One new feature of the desktop version of YouTube is Dark Theme, which makes the background dark so that you can completely focus on the video, as if you were in a movie theater. Users can try out a demo version of the new desktop design which can be found in the blog post mentioned earlier.
YouTube will also be making sharing videos easier, using a messaging system that other websites like Facebook and Instagram have. People will be able to send videos to their friends and have private conversations about their favorite videos. A trailer which shows off the new sharing feature can be found here.
The new sharing feature will first be available in Latin America, then will be coming to the U.S. shortly afterward.
“I always have an incredible time at VidCon and this year is no different. I met amazing fans and inspirational creators and I experienced, first-hand, the wonderful sense of community and belonging between them,” said Wojcikci. “I hope some of these features and announcements will make their YouTube experience—and yours—better than ever.”
Featured Image via Pixabay
Caroline Walker
July 20, 2018 at 2:51 pm
Crazy how popular streaming services have become in just the recent history!